ALL ABOARD THE MARRIAGE HEARSE REVIEWS:

THREE WEEKS EDINBURGH

"...The play is an ode to modern love, its compromises and challenges. Anyone who has ever been in a relationship will see something of themselves in the characters – the audience laughs in recognition at the same arguments they’ve had themselves, and there is something universal in this portrayal of love." See full review here

- Rosie Barrett

EDFESTMAG

Jessica Moreno and Tom Pilutik

"...The audience become a part of the couple’s journey, gripped by the fantastic performances. There’s funny moments which carry well despite the play having a very American feel. It seems marriage and its woes creates a universal understanding amongst audiences which make this performance relatable and thought provoking." See full review here

-Katie Mckenzie

The Reviews Hub

"...Setting the play in the Manhattan apartment of an arguing intellectual couple, Morillo goes deep into Woody Allen territory geographically as well as thematically. Biting Allen style wisecracks are few and far between and the debate is stretched a little thin over 70 minutes, but the dialogue is smart and snappy and the two performances are spot on. This show is lightweight but has much more substance than the average rom-com." See full review here

-Stephen Bates

THE SCOTSMAN

"... Jessica Moreno...is an irresistible force; it’s an absolute knockout performance from an actress a lucky few may remember from the 2013 Fringe production of Morillo’s The Inventor And The Escort. Moreno’s face is incredibly animated throughout – this is one production that benefits from being in a small venue – yet she never threatens to be simply “making faces”. One minute she’s sexy; then sulky; poutingly sad then genuinely scary, ice-cold with anger. Pilutik does well just to hold his own against this remarkable performance and gives almost as good as he gets with an intelligently restrained turn that provides a fine counterpoint to Moreno’s firecracker. There is, perhaps needless to say, quite a strong Neil Simon feel to Morillo’s smart script – particularly Simon’s later dramatic works – but that’s no bad thing when you have such a gift of an actress who’s capable of wringing every single laugh from it. Full review.

-RORY FORD

BROADWAY BABY

"The script is clever and thought-provoking, the back-and-forth dialogue witty and the performances by the two actors excellent."

"...These characters, mouthpieces or not, are brought vividly to life by Tom Pilutik and Jessica Moreno. Pilutik’s performance as the self-confident, hyper-cynical Sean is accomplished but it was Moreno’s optimistic, fiery Amy that stole the show. Moreno’s range was astonishing, her performance as polished in moments of broad comedy as well as instances of stark poignancy.

All Aboard the Marriage Hearse is a play of ideas of which the ideas have slightly too tight a grip. Morillo, focused on the intellectual, forgets to properly secure our emotional investment. Nevertheless, the script is clever and thought-provoking, the back-and-forth dialogue witty and the performances by the two actors excellent. It could be worth a watch before you order the wedding cake." See full review here

- Jamie P. Robson

NYC REVIEWS

"Matt Morillo's insightful theatrical pre-marital cross examination of the institution of marriage, exposes one to the raw nerves struck by the specter of impending matrimony...Illuminates the tenuous Achilles tendons attached to the structure of marriage flayed bare by verbal surgical strikes of crisp dialogue...Even if you have your mind made up about marriage, lifelong commitment and conjugal bliss, All Aboard the Marriage Hearse is highly recommended for those considering the pros and cons of a trip down the aisle and what being a couple means in a post-feminist, pre-marital conundrum."

-Aziz Rahman

OFF OFF ONLINE

"All Aboard the Marriage Hearse, is a small, intimate play that remains full of substance without any over-arching socio-political agendas. All the action and intensity one could want in a show takes place within the confines of an East Village living room, and this a case where less is certainly more… Morillo blends the highly comic with the more dramatic elements of Amy and Sean’s fighting with aplomb, careful not to strip them of their humanity… Morillo upends what could have been a merely conventional play in several respects. First of all, he supplies an inordinate amount of exposition that suggests these characters actually have a rich history before the audience ever meets them, but never simply spoon feeds information when necessary. Secondly, he cares for both Amy’s and Sean’s perspectives equally…Hearse makes its case not only for the costs and benefits of marriage, but also for an overlooked theatrical subgenre… Morillo proves that smart comedy is alive and well."